🚀 go-pugleaf

Marcin Grzegorczyk wrote:
> Mike Humberston wrote:
> 
>>>> [...]
>>>> So my questions are, for Locomotion, has Chris Sawyer bothered to
>>>> take some time to research and implement algorithms which:
>>>> 1. result in sensible computer controlled company track layouts?
>>>> 2. get trains from starting point to destination without any
>>>> possibility of them getting lost en route?
>>
>> [...]
>> Should I take that to mean no?  If so then that is a pity as
>> doing both those things is not particularly difficult.
> 
> 
> I'm curious what routing algorithm you would choose.  Granted, TTD's 
> routing is not particularly smart, but the requirements are pretty 
> specific: the algorithm must work in real time (it's called every time a 
> train arrives at a junction, so that trains don't get stuck if the 
> network is modified by the player) and require very little permanent 
> storage (as opposed to temporary, which isn't a problem).  And don't 
> forget that the game was designed to run on a 386.

I'm not sure that Locomotion does this. I think it calculates the 
routing in advance and runs that route for a while. For instance add in 
a shortcut and trains will not start taking it straight away, but later 
will always take it - so I guess it already knows where it is going. I'm 
so sure it does this that I've wondered if there is a way round it (e.g. 
cause rerouting NOW).

However I do agree that routing in general sucks in this game. I was 
wondering what the point of establishing a transport network was. 
Optimal use of money involves transporting pretty much all of a good 
away from a production factory as that minimises costs for the 
tracks/roads whatever. However this, or perhaps two source factories 
will "fill" a track up so that attempting to push more traffic along it 
(especially asynchronous traffic) is likely to cause it to stall and run 
slower. Therefore there is very little sharing of transport routes. 
Maybe this changes in later eras - I've mostly played the 1900-1930 era 
scenarios - and I have a thing for freight (esp oil) rather than 
passengers. This seems to defeat the purpose of building nice transport 
networks for everything to flow over.

In fact I won all of the easy scenarios with either oil/trains or 
passengers/local bus routes.

I'll stop waffling now!

Alan